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Published: November 12th 2005
Hi everyone
This entry is a sad one for me. I am back at home in New Jersey right now, after only about a week in New Zealand.
Caitlin and I had moved on from Rotorua on the North Island to Raglan, a surfing town on the western coast of New Zealand. If any of you have seen the movie Endless Summer, Raglan is one of the longest left hand breaks in the world. (Not that I have
any idea what that means. Yet.)
We had settled at the Solscape Backpackers hostel. It's a wonderful funky little hostel that has dorms that are converted railway cars. They are all arranged on this green little hilltop that over looks Whale and Manu Bay. It's a friendly place. We were there one night and had already met a lot of friendly folks.
The next morning I checked my email for the first time in a while and I had an urgent message from my brother Andrew and my mom. The email said that my grandpa had been hospitalized and to call home right away.My grandfather had been sick for quite a while before I left for my trip. A myriad of health problems including cancer.
The next hour or so was a blur of phone calls home and to the airlines. Caitlin was a great buddy and drove me straight to the airport. I caught the next flight to LA. I got to JFK Thursday evening, completely out of sorts from travelling and the haste of it all. I am going through a ton of different emotions about my family, my trip and my grandpa.
My grandpa was a gentle man with many personal and professional accomplishments so it was not a big surprise when I learned that my entire mother's side had made similar travels to pay respects. The clan is HUGE since there are 5 children (and their spouses), 12 grandchildren (and their 5 spouses) and 4 great grandchildren (and counting)...
Right now I'm just at home with my family and we are all just sharing our limited time together. My grandpa is hopstilized at the hospital my mother works at so it's fairly close. Every day my cousins, aunts and uncles drive down from New York and check in.
Depending on what happens with my grandpa, I do plan on going back to New Zealand fairly soon. As important as it was for me to come home, I realized that I was starting to feel quite at home in my tent and with Chippy and Caitlin and it is just as important for me to still continue this journey. For the time being, it is nice to eat something besides bagged granola for a few days.
love
meesh
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lisa
non-member comment
hey meesh
HI Meesh: I am so sorry to hear about your grandpa. You are a good granddaughter to head home to see him. I know Caitlin misses you but she is fine. All that travel back to the US under the circumstances must have been tough. Anyway, I'm sending good thoughts your way and thanks for the great travel blog and pictures. Love, Lisa (Caitlin's mom)